Do you ever feel like you’re being judged because of how you look? So often, we are bombarded with messages that emphasize looking the ‘right’ way and conforming to certain beauty ideals. However, this pressure can be incredibly detrimental to our sense of self-worth. Fortunately, there is a way to overcome these obstacles and tap into our true inner beauty. In this article, we’ll be exploring the concept of “Beauty Unmasked” and discovering the strength that can be found in rising above beauty-related struggles.
1. Breaking the Chains of Beauty-Related Suffering
Beauty is often seen as an ideal goal in our culture. We’re told what is “beautiful” everyday, through the media, advertisements, and conversations with our peers. However, those narrow standards come with a hefty price. Intense beauty-related suffering is not only common, but has become so normalized that it’s difficult to identify and address.
We Must Challenge Unhelpful Norms
The truth is that many of us are held captive by the beauty standards we’re told to uphold and the self-consciousness that comes along with it. The way forward is not to necessarily accept these standards, but to challenge them and work hard to redefine beauty for ourselves. In a large sense, this means creating a culture where diverse body types, skin tones, stereotypes, and more are celebrated and respected.
Focus on What You Like
On an individual level, you can start taking steps to break free of oppressive standards. Start small: focus on the aspects of your appearance and beauty that you like, and build up from there. You may even find that what you’re drawn to in others is what you appreciate in yourself! Everyone will have different standards, so find what resonates with you and own it.
Practice Self-Compassion
These processes take time and are a work in progress. With this in mind, try to be less hard on yourself and practice self-compassion. We all have feelings of insecurity, and that’s okay. Support yourself throughout this process, and understand that what may work for some may not work for you, and that is totally okay.
Cultivate Strong Connections
Finally, find friends, family, and mentors who respect you and are open to discussing these topics. Learning to break free of beauty-related suffering can be done more quickly and easily with the help of understanding voices around you.
- Challenge unhelpful norms
- Focus on what you like
- Practice self-compassion
- Cultivate strong connections
By taking these steps, you can unlock your own unique beauty and begin to move beyond the chains of beauty-related suffering.
2. Uncovering the Causes of Beauty-Related Issues
Beauty-related issues can have serious consequences, from self-esteem issues to depression. It’s important to identify the causes so that we can work on solving them. Here are some potential root causes:
- Social media: With its abundance of photoshopped images and airbrushed images, social media platforms set unrealistic standards of beauty. This can lead to people feeling inadequate about their physical selves.
- Body shaming: Society places a high value on physical beauty, leading to a culture of body shaming. People feel judged when they don’t match up to these expectations and become insecure.
- Peer pressure: Teenagers are especially vulnerable to peer pressure when it comes to beauty standards. They may feel pressure to lead a certain lifestyle or look a certain way.
Another growing cause of beauty-related issues is the pressure to conform to certain body shapes and sizes. Today, the ideal body type is largely influenced by the media. This unrealistic portrayal makes it difficult for people to feel comfortable in their own skin, and can cause feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.
The underlying message behind these beauty-related pressures is that physical appearance is more important than character and personalities. This can create a damaging mindset, and it’s important for young people to recognize that they shouldn’t be trying to fit the beauty standards set by the media.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Mental health should be the priority, and self-love should come before physical perfection. People should be mindful of their opinions and be more accepting of others regardless of their looks.
3. Unearthing the Strength of Beauty Pessimism
Beauty pessimism is a trend that has been gaining traction, more so in the past few years. Rather than trying to chase after unrealistic ideals of beauty defined by society, it encourages people to find the beauty in their own unique features, no matter how unconventional or ‘imperfect’. It is about recognizing what makes us unique, valuable and beautiful. Adopting beauty pessimism can bring about a newfound appreciation of features we may have previously deemed unattractive or unappealing.
The focus of beauty pessimism is learning to accept ourselves for who we are. It provides an alternate narrative for the conversation around beauty, rejecting ideas of perfection. It is about embracing all aspects of ourselves, good and bad, and turning away from unattainable standards. Obsessing over ‘perfection’ is a good way to drain your energy and make yourself feel less beautiful. By challenging notions of perfection, we can more deeply appreciate and cherish our individual beauty.
Beauty pessimism is about finding the strength and power in the small and imperfections. It encourages us to accept our unique features and express ourselves without fear of judgment. Rather than conforming to societal beauty standards, it celebrates individuality. It is about cultivating an attitude of self-love and appreciation, by not only being content with who we are, but also respecting and understanding our own self-worth.
At its core, beauty pessimism is an empowering attitude that can lead to greater self-confidence. It is about understanding that our beauty is not only about our outer physical appearance, but also our inner qualities. It acknowledges that beauty exists in our diversity and collective humanity.
- Beauty pessimism rejects unattainable standards of perfection and encourages us to accept our unique features.
- It celebrates individuality and encourages us to express ourselves without fear of judgment.
- It is an empowering attitude that leads to greater self-confidence and understanding of our self-worth.
- It acknowledges that beauty exists in our diversity and collective humanity.
4. Moving Towards Beauty Unmasked Joy
We are all familiar with our biggest, most potent emotion: joy. But, it can be difficult to access in its purest, unmasked form. There are many components to moving towards joy that are effortless and accessible—even in the darkest and most daunting of days. Here are 4 tips to find beauty and “unmasked joy” in the present moment:
- Make space for stillness. Find even just 5 minutes in your day to sit and be still with your emotions. Nature is often a grounding space that can help bring clarity and perspectives to any situations. Breathing deeply in and out can shut off the never-ending chatter in our head and help us connect with our true emotion.
- Be mindful of your thinking. When we take ownership of our own thoughts, we can stop them from controlling us. Unkind and negative thoughts impact the way we see the world which stops us from fully experiencing joy. Acknowledge and observe thoughts with compassionate awareness, and try not to take them too seriously.
- Find gratitude. Acknowledging life experiences big and small, and looking for the beauty in them, will help open our hearts to joy. Even amongst chaos, sadness and pain, there can be beauty and joy from the smallest moments and gratitude for what we have now.
- Give and receive love. We can generate and spread more happiness when we connect with friends and family, reach out to our communities and be of service. Focusing on how we can bring more joy and love to others helps us tap into the beauty found in humanity.
Living life with joy is an art, with beauty found beneath our masks. Focusing on creating a unique blend of the components of joy that resonates with us, helps us move towards an unmasked joy. By allowing peace to enter our lives, we free ourselves to find unadulterated moments of bliss and a connection to the beauty that can arise from joy.
Remember, you are the one who gets to define beauty – not society. Everyone has different obstacles to face, but you can take comfort in knowing that your unique qualities make you powerful and strong – and that, my friend, is true beauty.
